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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22963360">Second Place</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/UmbreonGurl/pseuds/UmbreonGurl'>UmbreonGurl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff and Angst, Gen, Pre-Canon, bergliez family, good guy randolph von bergliez, no beta we die like Glenn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:29:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,197</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22963360</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/UmbreonGurl/pseuds/UmbreonGurl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Caspar von Bergliez has trouble getting his father to so much as glance his way. He comes to realize that he doesn't need to.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Second Place</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Caspar von Bergliez is born into second place. He is the second son, second in line, second best. He has no inheritance, no marriage value, and his father sees him as a nuisance at worst, and a troublemaker at best.</p><p>He’s not smart like his older brother, not able to be married off easily like his sisters, and not old enough to do much of anything.</p><p>Caspar learns very quickly that in a large family, there are not enough handouts and help for everyone, and as one of the youngest, he is mostly on his own. He is not born early enough to be groomed to take over for his father, not smart enough to be a scholar, not important enough to be given much more than a passing glance. </p><p>The first time Caspar’s father even seems to give him a second glance is not even because of him. It’s only after he becomes friends with Linhardt that he even seems to remember he exists.</p><p>“Good job, son,” says Father. “You do our family proud.”</p><p>Somehow, the words he’d always dreamt of hearing feel hollow. </p><p>Where was the “good job, son” when he first picked up a pair of gauntlets? Where was the “good job, son” when he got a good score on his exam? Where was the “good job, son” when he won his first spar?</p><p>Did he not do the family proud before this? He is Caspar von Bergliez, youngest of eight siblings, and he has long since given up on meeting his father’s impossibly high expectations.</p><p>Ironically, Caspar is glad to be the second son—glad that his father doesn’t give him a second glance. He can’t do math, has trouble with reading when the letters dance across his racing mind, and if he had to sit still for more than an hour, he’s pretty sure he’d lose his mind. </p><p>If his father ever chose to give Caspar a second glance, he would not be met with the same proud smiles given to his brother, but instead disappointed glowers. And in a way, Caspar feels like being ignored is far less painful than being looked down upon.</p><p>Because Caspar isn’t someone to look down upon. He’s going to be a knight one day. He’ll be famous, and rich, and a hero. Father will be begging <em> him </em>for the time of day instead of the other way around.</p><p>He will. </p><p>He doesn’t care what father thinks of his plans. Caspar doesn’t give the time of day to people who wouldn’t do the same for him. </p><p>Blood is thicker than water, yes, but actions speak louder than words, and his father took far too long to speak up.</p>
<hr/><p>The first time Randolph meets Caspar, he is reminded of himself.</p><p>In Caspar, Randolph sees a boy with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove, a boy with a heart twice his size and dreams just as big.</p><p>Caspar looks decidedly out of place at a function like this, where everyone is dressed to the nines, standing stiff and tall, taking small, dainty bites out of smaller, daintier appetizers. His coat is rumpled, his sleeves are rolled up, and he bounces from foot to foot, zooming across the room.</p><p>Randolph is too caught up in playing the delicate game of high-society politics that he can only watch out of the corner of his eye as Count Bergliez waves Caspar off, and he leaves, dejected.</p><p>Randolph knows it’s not his place to intervene. He’s not a member of the main family, and he is barely even considered a noble by many people’s standards. But some part of him can’t help it.</p><p>He bids his goodbyes from the ballroom with the excuse of needing some fresh air, and follows the trail of scuffed footprints out to a clearing in the gardens.</p><p>There, he finds Caspar, but he is not alone.</p><p>“I swear, Lin, it’s like he doesn’t even care,” grumbles Caspar, as he punches a straw dummy. “I do everything right, and even then, he doesn’t see me. I do everything wrong, and he doesn’t see me. What am I doing wrong?”</p><p>Linhardt, who Randolph assumes is the boy who is dozing against a nearby tree—and is also likely Count Hevring’s son judging by the hair—lazily cracks an eye open.</p><p>“Nothing,” he drawls. “It’s not your fault your father is too blind to see what is right in front of him. Just because you’re not good at math doesn’t mean you aren’t good at other things.”</p><p>Caspar throws one last punch at the training dummy, before he lets his fists drop with a sigh. “But why doesn’t he see that? Why doesn’t anyone see that?”</p><p>“I do,” says Linhardt.</p><p>Caspar runs a hand across his face. “That’s because you’re cool, Linhardt. You see it. But nobody else seems to see anything good about me.”</p><p>It is then that Randolph decides to step in.</p><p>“I do,” he says. “Your form is quite good, young man.”</p><p>Linhardt opens both his eyes and watches him like a hawk, cool and calculating. Caspar, on the other hand, turns around and gapes.</p><p>“What are you doing out here?” he says. “The ballroom is back that way.”</p><p>“It felt a bit stuffy in the ballroom,” he says. “So I figured I’d explore a bit.”</p><p>“That’s because the ballroom <em> is </em> stuffy,” Caspar agrees, nodding. “They want you to stand all nice, dress up all nice, and then sit there and do nothing but talk all day.”</p><p>Randolph almost wants to laugh. He would have said almost the same thing when he was younger.</p><p>“You’re pretty good at punching that dummy,” says Randolph. </p><p>Caspar beams.</p><p>“Of course I am,” he says. “I practice every day. I’m gonna be a knight one day, or a famous warrior, so I have to be at my best!”</p><p>“That’s an honorable dream,” says Randolph. “I had a similar one when I was your age.”</p><p>“Oh yeah?” says Caspar. “Who are you, anyways?”</p><p>Randolph had nobody to guide him when <em> he </em> was that age, fighting for his place in the world. He had nobody to help him get his foot in the door, had nobody to help get people to notice his talents.</p><p>But perhaps—Caspar could.</p><p>“My name is Randolph von Bergliez,” he says. “I’m a general in the Adrestian Impreial Army.”</p><p>Caspar opens his mouth to respond, before he pauses, mouth forming an ‘o’.</p><p>“But von Bergliez is <em> my </em> name,” he says. “I’m Caspar von Bergliez.”</p><p>“Yes,” says Randolph. “Your father is my stepbrother. I suppose that would make me your uncle.”</p><p>“Really? Wow, that’s so cool!” Caspar turns over towards Linhardt. “Hey, Lin, did you hear that? My uncle’s a <em> general </em>!” </p><p>“Yes,” says Linhardt. “I heard.”</p><p>“That’s so <em> cool </em>,” says Caspar. “I want to be a general, too.”</p><p>“You could be, if you keep up your training,” says Randolph. “Tell me, Caspar, have you ever thought about joining the Army when you get older?”</p><p>Randolph might not be able to do a ton, but he’d be damned if he doesn’t help this boy get his foot in the door.</p><p>The rest, though, is up to him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I really meant to work on some of my longfic wips today but nah my brain said Caspar and Randolph von Bergliez rights. Intsys show me more Randolph please I beg.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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